1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft structures and, in particular, to inspecting aircraft structures. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for computer-controlled non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of aircraft structures.
2. Background
Aircraft structures may be examined at different times to determine whether the aircraft structures have desired properties. For example, an aircraft structure may be inspected during manufacturing of the aircraft structure. If the aircraft structure does not have the desired properties, that aircraft structure may be reworked or discarded.
For example, skin panels for an aircraft may be inspected during manufacturing of the skin panels. The inspection may be performed to determine whether undesired inconsistencies are present in the skin panels.
Inspection of aircraft structures also may occur after the aircraft structure has been sent to a customer for use. For example, skin panels on an aircraft may be examined after the aircraft has been in use. This inspection may occur, for example, between flights. In other cases, the inspection may be performed as part of a maintenance operation when the aircraft is taken out of service for maintenance.
Further, the inspection may be performed to determine whether an undesired inconsistency is present in the skin panels on the aircraft. An inconsistency may occur as a result of the stresses in loads placed upon the skin panels during flight, take off, and/or landing. Exposure to the environment also may cause an inconsistency in the skin panels. In some cases, the inconsistency may be an undesired inconsistency. If an undesired inconsistency is found, then the skin panel may be reworked or replaced on the aircraft.
These inspections may be performed using non-destructive evaluation (NDE) tests. A non-destructive evaluation test is a test in which a structure is evaluated without causing undesired changes to the structure. This type of test may be used to evaluate properties of the structure. In particular, this type of test may be used to identify inconsistencies that may be present in a structure. Non-destructive evaluation also may be referred to as non-destructive testing (NDT), non-destructive inspection (NDI), and non-destructive examination (NDE).
The different types of techniques used to perform non-destructive evaluation testing are highly valuable techniques that may save money and time in examining structures because these types of techniques do not permanently change a structure in an undesired manner. Examples of techniques for performing non-destructive evaluation testing include, for example, without limitation, ultrasonic inspection, remote visual inspection, eddy current testing, laser shearography, thermography, magnetic and optical imaging, and other suitable types of testing techniques that do not alter a structure in an undesired manner.
The inspection of aircraft structures on an aircraft is often performed by human operators using handheld devices. For example, a human operator may perform an inspection of an aircraft using a handheld eddy current sensor device to determine whether an inconsistency is present in the skin panel of the aircraft.
In particular, the human operator may need to move the handheld eddy current sensor device along the surface of a skin panel of an aircraft to determine whether the inconsistency is present. The human operator also may need to collect and record information about the inconsistencies. This type of inspection is time consuming.
The amount of time needed to perform an inspection of structures on an aircraft may be reduced by increasing the number of operators performing the inspection of the structures on the aircraft. Although having additional operators to perform inspections may reduce the time needed for inspecting the structures, having more operators increases the cost for inspecting an aircraft.
Thus, it would be illustrative to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as possible other issues.